YouTuber Rajab Butt has issued a public apology after facing severe backlash over an insensitive joke about abused children that went viral on social media.
During a live broadcast with Zaid Ali, Rajab commented on Zaid’s flat facial expression, comparing it to the face of a child who has been molested without being paid by the molester.
The clip was shared widely online, sparking outrage across social media, with several celebrities publicly condemning the remark.
Responding to the backlash, Rajab shared a note on an Instagram story addressing the controversy directly.
He wrote, “Over the past few days, a video of mine has been circulating in which I said something that was extremely inappropriate and regardless of my intentions or the situation at the time, completely below the belt. A joke like that is never, ever, okay.”
Jokes like these, he said, have been normalised in gatherings among boys, but that does not make them acceptable.
“Knowing how grave and painful the situation in our country is when it comes to this particular issue, I should have been more sensitive. Even beyond that, it is something that should never have been made a joke about in the first place,” he added.
He then apologised directly to those affected.
He wrote, “From the bottom of my heart, I apologise to everyone whose sentiments I have hurt, whose traumas I may have triggered and who I have made uncomfortable through my words. This is an old video, but I understand that its age does not excuse what was said.”
He ended the note by saying he is trying to “learn, unlearn and become more mindful and responsible” about the things he says and the impact they can have.
Rajab Butt is a widely followed controversial Pakistani digital creator with over nine million subscribers on YouTube, three million followers on Instagram, and around one million on TikTok.
